Luke 1:26–56 ESV
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
Last week, we looked at a very similar encounter. The same angel came and spoke to an older man, Zechariah, about the fact that his barren wife, Elizabeth, would bear a child and this child will be great and will go before the Messiah. This news was met with doubt and resulted in Zechariah’s silence. But it also resulted in Elizabeth being able to conceive a child for the first time in what we assume is her post-menopausal years.
Now, six months have passed and the Angel Gabriel is given another mission from God to go and deliver a message. Instead of being to an older man and his wife, it’s to an unwed young woman - maybe even a teenager who was preparing for her wedding.
Like the announcement of the birth of John the baptist, this baby would also be great - even greater. He will be a savior, ruler. He will be the One for whom John will prepare people.
As Mary heard this announcement, she was puzzled. There had been speculation and even anticipation in that day that the Messiah would be born. It seems they knew that the Messiah would be human - they just didn’t know how they would know which child would be the messiah. So this Angel presents Mary with this news and she asks - “How will this be?” Her question seems to be one of curiosity and not doubt. So the Angel addresses her question and states that the Holy Spirit would overshadow her allowing her to conceive. The child will be called “holy—the Son of God.” His name will be Jesus.
Then as if to assuage some other lingering questions, the Angel tells her of Elizabeth’s pregnancy - “her who was called barren” has conceived a son and is already 6 months along. Elizabeth had been in hiding so the news had likely not been spread very far.
Then notice what the Angel said - “For nothing will be impossible with God.”
It’s as though he is telling Mary that the God who opens closed wombs is the same God who can make this miracle happen in her life.
So, in response, Mary says - “I am a servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.”
At this, I think we have our first point to consider, and that is that we should…
Concede to God’s call with obedience (26-38, 56)
For Mary, imagine what would happen when the word got out that she was pregnant. The social stigma and judgment would be intense. The rumors would abound. Even her fiancee had to be convinced by another angelic messenger that this was of God. God called her to do something completely radical - and she willingly obeyed.
There may be times when God will call us to do radical and even unimaginable things. His call may not make sense by human standards.
His call may seem impossible.
We could think about God calling us to go overseas to another context to be a witness for Him there. It could be that God may call you to change your career from one thing to another - even pursuing ministry where before you may have had no desire to do so.
(tease this out a bit)
His call may be difficult and life changing
…but worth it. For Rosaria Butterfield, God’s call on her life meant leaving her lesbian lover and eventually giving up her prestigious tenure. God has used her to speak into this generation and to demonstrate hospitality to so many for God’s glory. For CS Lewis, God called him to lay aside his atheism and see the beauty and mystery and joy of a life surrendered Jesus. Lewis’ works have impacted millions of lives.
If you’re not yet a follower of Christ - I would love for you to come to know him as Savior - to repent of your sin and trust in Him. I would love for you to know the joy and peace of eternal life. I would love for you to join in the body of Christ and know that you have a place in this family. But I also want you to understand the cost. Jesus requires that he have first place in our lives. A bit later in Luke’s gospel, Jesus makes some very hyperbolic statements:
Luke 14:26–33 ESV
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Does he really want us to hate our parents? No - but he wants to be Lord even over that relationship. Does he want us to sell everything or give up material comforts? Maybe. You see, when we enter into a relationship with Jesus, he’s not an add-on to make life a bit better or more redemptive - he’s a transformer. His intention is to so radically transform our lives that the world then notices and begins to shift.
So, friend, if you’re not yet a follower of Christ - trust in Him today - but know, everything changes - your outlook, your purpose, your affections, your allegiances - everything. But it will be worth it!
Beloved, brothers and sisters in Christ, where have we compromised our obedience? Where have we heard God calling and have refused to obey? Where have we been unfaithful in little things so that he can’t or won’t use us in bigger things?
God’s call may seem impossible and radical. God’s call will be life changing.
There is something in God’s call that is ordinary and mundane.
We often think about the birth of Jesus in the wonderful and miraculous. As we study the book of Luke, we’ll learn more about Jesus childhood than we would in any other book, but generally, there are about 3 decades of Jesus life that is largely unknown to us. It’s in those decades that Mary and Joseph got to do the important but ordinary task of raising Jesus. Mary fed him and changed his clothes. They taught him what it meant to be human, how to be a man. They brought him to synagogue and the temple. They were called to a special, important, life-changing and ordinary task.
God’s call on our lives will impact our day to day activities. His call informs how we live as husbands and wives. His call affects how we raise our children. He call impacts who we date and what boundaries exist in our dating. His call touches so many ordinary things:
our budgets - looking at living generously, within our means, tithing
our work ethic - working as though unto the Lord
our speech - not gossiping, or cursing, but using our language to build others up
our relationships -
We could go on. The question we have to ask ourselves - are we conceding to God’s will with obedience - even joyful obedience? Mary gives us an excellent example of this.
Did you notice what Mary did next? She went immediately to go see Elizabeth. This 90+ mile trip might have taken her 3-4 days walking. But she was so excited to be with Elizabeth that she went with haste. They celebrated together and encouraged one another. In many ways, their time together became a way for them to confirm God’s work in their lives.
Mary confirmed what the angel said about Elizabeth.
Elizabeth got to confirm that the uniquenesses of the child in her womb - sensing the Spirit’s presence in him.
But Elizabeth also got to encourage and affirm Mary’s obedience.
Luke 1:42–45 (ESV)
…“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
They knew that while God had called both of them to seemingly impossible tasks, they were not in this alone and neither are we.
Yes, we should concede to God’s call with joyful obedience, but we also learn from Mary and Elizabeth that we get to …
Confirm God’s work in community (39-45)
In salvation
we get to see a lives devoted to Christ in others as they bear witness to the life-changing work of Christ in our lives.
in the impossible and life changing
others can see and confirm how God is gifting and equipping you for work
we get to mutually encourage one another in those special callings - whether in areas of service here, or in broader work around the world.
in the ordinary and mundane
As we read scripture together and pray together - whether in community groups or one-on-one, we get to help each other as we grow in our knowledge of God and His word.
While Mary willingly obeyed and then got to confirm God’s work with Elizabeth, finally, she provides for us an example of how we can…
Celebrate God’s personal and public acts (46-55)
Mary burst into song in what is often called the Magnificat - which essentially means magnify. She celebrates and praises God for what he is doing in her life personally and in the very public works that he is performing. This song has some similar refrains to the song we read earlier from Hannah.
She begins by noting…
Personal Acts
Luke 1:46–49 ESV
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
He had given her this very meaningful and impactful assignment. She would be exalted from her humble position - at least in how she is esteemed - simply because he chose her.
When it comes to our walks with God, we are in a very similar boat - we get to praise God for the unmerited or undeserved favor that he shows toward us in Christ Jesus. We don’t earn our place in the Kingdom of God - we are loved, because God is so loving.
Romans 5:8 ESV
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
But even beyond that, there are those personal acts and blessings that God shows toward us
answered prayer
areas of growth
unexpected blessings
Are we praising him and thanking Him for that? We may not need to wax poetic and burst into some broadway like song, but we can and should offer our thanks and praise!
Mary recognizes that she doesn’t deserve this sacred honor, but embraces it. She also acknowledges God’s…
Public Acts
Luke 1:50–55 ESV
And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
She acknowledges how God exalts the humble and humbles the exalted. He demonstrates his strength among those who are weak. His way is a way of grace and mercy. We can read about that throughout the Old Testament as we see the ways that God works in and through Israel. We learn about it in the New Testament as God establishes what some people have called an upside down Kingdom. We have seen that throughout history as we learn of the ways that God works around the world - changing lives and nations, providing strength in the face of opposition, supplying needs in mysterious ways.
Closing thoughts
May we concede to God’s call with joyful obedience, in the ordinary and extraordinary.
May we engage with those around us in community to confirm what God is doing.
Then let us celebrate and magnify the Lord for his personal and public works.
Ephesians 3:20–21 ESV
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Questions for reflection and discussion:
Read Luke 1:26-56.
1. How do you tend to react when you receive unexpected good news?
2. How did Mary feel when the angel appeared to her? (1:29–30)
3. How did Gabriel describe the child that would be born to Mary? (1:31–33)
4. How did Mary’s response to the angel differ from Zechariah’s? (1:34, 38)
5. How has the fact that “with God, nothing is impossible” taken root in your life?
6. What two remarkable things happened as soon as Mary called her greeting to Elizabeth? (1:41)
7. What was the significance of the baby leaping at the sound of Mary’s voice? (1:41, 44)
8. What significance do you think it had for Mary that Elizabeth knew the importance of Mary’s baby?
9. For what work of God do you want to celebrate or praise Him?
10. What were the two parts of Mary’s song? (1:46–55)
11. What specific actions did Mary say God had done for her? (1:46–49)
12. What happens to people who fear God? (1:50)
13. What words best describe Mary’s attitude?
